Sectional box.



J. KEEPE.

SEOTIONAL BOX.

APPLICATION IILEIJ 00T.1'7, 1910.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

2 SHBETSSHBET 1.

CL W1 J. KEEPE. SEOTIONAL BOX. 'APPLIOATION FILED 00T.17, 1910.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Parana onnion JOSEPH KEEFE, O BGSEON, ENIASElAtIHUQE'lTQ, ASSIGNOH TU JOHN H. PARKER, 01?

SAUGUS, MZUZSAiSHUSETTS.

SEGTIDNAL BOX.

Specification of Letters Potcnted Sept. 2, 1913,

Application filed Detouer w, 1910. Serial no. 587,809.

To all whom 515 may concern Be it known that I, Josiun lint-u n, of Boston in the county of Sullolk and State oil h'lassachusetts, have invented a new and useful. Sectional Box, of which the following is a specification.

lvty invcaition relates to boxes consisting of a plurality of sections and. the main ob ect of my invention is to providw a box whose sections can be connected without the use of screws, rivets or the like.

Other objects are to provide a simple and efficient sectimiat box for electrical purposes such as outlet: work and to cheapcn the mauu't'ar'rture ot' such boxes.

My invcnth'in consists primarily in a box haying sections which are ei'mnectcd by n'icu'ibers adapted for engaginnent without the use of screws rivets or the like.

A feature of my invention consists in means For holding the connectiiug' members.

Another feature is the means for holding the outlet; closures in position.

Numerous other 'fijeatures will he pointed out l'ielow.

in the drawings llig nre l. is a perspective of the separated elements oi a box. emhiuly ing; my invention; ll ig. 2 is a pet-spec ve of the bail); with the elen'ients assembled; l ig. 3 is a 'sccthuial plan of a portion of tlit3 ll()ft; Fig. 4! is a plan c'li an outlet her: embodying my invention; Fig. 5 is a section on line 5' ---5 l t llig'. llooking in the direction 01"? the arrows; Fin. (3 is a section on line tL-tl of Fig. t looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. i' a detail (it' a portion of a nn'tition; Fig. S is a detail of portions of two partitions sl'iowing the saving of material; Fig. 9 is a broken elevation ot a modified form of connecting Jnen'iber; Fig". 10 is a section of the same on line IDs-10 oit J and Fl 11 is a plan of the some;

A A represent sections of my box. lit-itch section comprises a base portion and two side portions a c. From each side i,1ort1on pri'ijections or tongues a a a a extend inwardly crosswise ot the box and at right angles to the side portion. These tongues are integralwith the side portion and are and lie in a vertical plane one above the i Beteethe tongues are spaces of about the ot' the tongues and at two diagonally opposite corners the top of the tongues are llush with the to) of the box white at the other 1 cm corners top tongue is below the top of the box a distance of one syace above referred to. it will he noticed t tat the vertical plane 01' the tongues is just outside ol the side portion of each section so that; when the sections are assembled as y in Fig. 2 the tongues or of one section register with tongues a of an adjacent section and all the adjacent tongues are in one vertical plane.

ll connect the sections by members mounted to slide down along the juxtaposed tongues and l have shown several terms of these members. in Fig. l the term ll is a single piece in U-shape ot a size to frictionally engage the timgues. .In some cases it may not he dcsiraliile to rely on friction to prevent Inm'cn-n-ut ol the connecting member crosswise ot' the box and then I may use torln ll which is made of a single picee hut illt' U-shaped poriimts are connected by a portion which extends across the box and which therelm-c prevents movement ot the U-shaqocd portions crosswise of the box. Form 1% resembles torm ll but theccntral portion is not coutiz'mous from the top to the bottom oi the bore and therefore does not act as a complete partition between the Sec tions which is the case with term ll. It will be observed. that my arrangement of tongues and spaces is such that either side in? a section will mesh with either side of an adjacent section and this interchangeability is an iu'lportant fcatturc of my invention.

Although my invention is clearly applicable for use in any situation where it is desirable to connect sections of a box and tl'iereby to make a box of adjustable length, "for example, packing strawberry boxes, eggs or other merchandise, yet it has especial. practical advantage in electrical outlet work. to such work it, sometimes happens that by reason o'l. variation in building construction or unusual location it is highly desirable to have the apparatus in ditl'crent sets or in sets of diili'erenti size, and my invention enables one'to carry on such work without the necessity of having); at hand a large number of (i'ilt vrnt sizes of boxes because the electrician. may readily make a box for his purpose using; my elements as occasion may require.

In Fig. t: I show my invention embodied in an outlet hox lic' 'ltin positiouin a wall or the like l ly earsfill itl'i l t desirable to make the parts of outlet boxes of: metal and I therefore prefer to make the connecting members with a metal partition portion E extendlng from top to bottom of the box and having riveted to each end metal portions e c and e e to engage the tongues as described above in connection with the other forms of connecting member,- The use vof-a connecting member which is itself a fireproof partition between adjacent sections is an important advantageof my invention.

At convenient locations I provide outlets .F '5 which are shown as round holes. Suit-- ably adjacent to the outlets are gibs to engage closures G G and hold them in place opposite those outlets which'are not in use. Each closure is preferably a flat metal plate. These closures are readily slidable so that the outlets may be used for the introduction of vconduits. The closures on the bottom of the box are held against movement crosswise of the box by the gibs" and against movement lengthwise of the box by a gibon one side and the partition on the other side. Each closure on the sides of the he slid lengthwise of the box. When a closure is to be removed at the side of the box in the preferred form the partition must be wholly removed and then the closure may be readily slid out vertically along the side of the box. In Fig. 7 I have shown a detail of the'recessed partition and in Fig. 8 I

have illustrated the saving of material due to this recessing. From this figure it will be clear that cutting the recess of member 6 furnishes the projection of member 6' and vice versa with the result that in cutting the two members 6 and e a strip of material of the depth of the recess is saved.

I may use as a connecting member the form 13* shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11 which is made in a single piece with one set of tongues in a vertical planeait one side of the main portion of the connecting member and with another set of tongues b alternating with th first set and in another plane at the other side of said main portion. The tongues of this member B will engage the appropriate tongues of the sect-ions and thereby hold the latter together. I

In assembling my box as many sections as desired are placed side by side with the adjacent projections or tongues in line, and the connecting member is then slid downwardly over the tongues and the box is comtage' is that the joints plete. When it is desired in electrical work touse an outlet at the bottom of the box the adjacent partition or end wall, the end conwall is entirely removed and theclosure for I that outlet is slid upward out of the boxand the-partition is then replaced.

. Among the'many advantages of my boxl.

may call attention to the simplicity of construction, the tewsteps necessary in its constructiomthe saving of material and-cheapness. An important advantage is that no screws or the like are necessary to connect the sections and the interchangeability of the parts is also'important. Another advanare all within the box. What I claim is: i 1. AL sectional box comprising several sections each having a plurality of integral projections, and a member to engage a plurality of projections of one section and also a plurality of projections of an adjacent section and hold those sections together,

said member being slidably mounted exter nally on the projections which it engages.

2. A sectional box comprising several sections each having a plurality of tongues at right angles to the side of the section a member separate from the sections to engage a plurality of tongues of one section and also a plurality of tongues of an adjacent section and hold those sections together, said member being slidably mounted on the projections which it engages.

3. A sectional box comprising several sections each section having a pro ection and a member slidably mounted externally on the projections of adjacent sections to hold those sections together.

4. A sectional box comprising severalsections each section having a pro ection at opposite sides; and a member consisting of three portions, one portion to engage adjacent project-ions at one side of the sections to hold that side together, another portion to engage adjacent projections at theother side of the sections and hold that side together and a third portion connecting the other two and holding one of them in engagement with the projections at one side of the sections and the other in engagement with the projections at the other side of the sections, said member being slidably mounted on the projections which it engages.

5'. A sectional box comprising several sections each having a tongue, the tongues of adjacent sections being in line, said line being at a right angle to the bottom of the box; and a member to externally engage the tongues of adjacent sections and hold these sections together.

sectional box comprising several sections' each section having two projections opposite each other and a member having a portion slidably mounted on the adjacent pro'ections of adjacent sectionsat one side of t ebox and having another portion slidabl mounted on the adjacent projections of adjacent sections at the other side of the box and having a third portion rigidly connecting said two other portions,

7. A sectional box comprising several sections and a partition of fireproof material to hold the sections together, the partition exfiending from one side of the box to the ot er.

8. In box of the character described the.

combination of several sections each section having outlets; closures for the outlets; and means which hold the sections together and which also hold the closures in position with relation to the outlets.

9. In a box of the character described the combination of several sections; outlets in the sections; a partition between adjacent sections; and closures for the outlets held in place by'the partition.

10. A sectional box comprising several sections, each section having a plurality of vertical tongues, the tongues of one section alternating with those of the adjacent section and all the adjacent tongues of adja cent sections being in line; and means to enga e the tongues externally and thereby ho d the sections together.

11. In a box of the character described the combination of several sections, each section having a plurality of tongues, the tongues of one section alternating with the adjacent ones of the adjacent section; and a member having altcrnately-arran ed projections to engage said tongues an thereby hold adjacent sections together.

12. A sectional box comprising several sections each having a rejection near the edge oi its side wall and at right angles to said wall; and a member slidably mounted on the projections of adjacent sections to hold said sections together.

13. A sectional box comprising several sections each section having a projection;

and a member within the box but mounted externally on the projections to hold adja cent sections together.

14. In a box of the character described the combination of several sections, one of said sections having an outlet; a closure for said outlet; and means which hold the sec tions together and which also hold the closure in position with relation to the outlet.

15. In a box of the character described the combination of several sections, one of said sections having an outlet; a partition between adjacent sections; and a closure for said outlet held in place by the partition. JOSEPH KEEFE.

Witnesses Emir: A. TEACHER, G". A. RocxwnLL. 

